3.5 stars, rounding down because Packer is capable of much better than this wildly uneven work.The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America| is among the finest works of non-fiction I've ever read, but well, The Unwinding this ain't.

Pros: The disentangling of the "four Americas" is a useful construct that does a better job of exploring polarization than simple left-right narratives do. Many passages are beautiful and well-articulated, and ultimately, I think his ideas around the need for class solidarity and identity are directionally right. The pursuit of equality (and abhorrence of the dominion of others over us) being a defining American characteristic also feels right.

Cons: This is just a jumbled mess in many places-- Packer's broad arc is generally clear, but it tries to connect too much in far too little space, leaving the "solutions" chapter at the end disjointed at best. Even as he acknowledges limitations in the four Americas idea, the notion of identities/affiliations that cut across them already are far too narrowly explored. And his critique of "Just America" reads harshest and least-well-developed. While he highlights the challenges with each group, it often reads as though he's most frustrated by the social justice movement, and the case about where they've gone wrong at times feels shallower or disproportional as a result.

I can't say this is a waste of time, but I do think this reads like an expanded-out magazine piece that could have benefited from significantly more editing and/or focus.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

LAST BEST HOPE by George Packer at first appears almost as deceptively simple as its cover, but there is much to contemplate in Packer's analysis of America. Consider his opening lines: "I am an American. No, I don't want pity." He does, however, want to explain how America became two countries, summarizing his argument as follows: "Inequality undermined the common faith that Americans need to create a successful multi-everything democracy." From there, he spends a good portion of the text describing four Americas: Free America – based on libertarian ideas and consumer capitalism, religious conservatives, hostile to government, anti-communist; Smart America – meritocracy is a core belief, that talent and effort should determine reward in a world where "the transnational flow of human beings, information, goods, and capital ultimately benefits most, if not all;" Real America – white, Christian nationalism exhibited in anti-intellectual bias and isolationist thinking, and "has always needed to feel that both a shiftless underclass and a parasitic elite depend on its labor;" Just America – grounded in social justice, battling the complacency of others; immersed in identity politics and race relations and looking for equity for groups as opposed to opportunity for individuals.

Packer notes the overlaps, the tensions, and the vast gaps between these versions of America as he traces their evolution over the past fifty years or more, reviewing options for increasing equality and examining differing views about the working class. He also makes some perceptive comments about the changes in media: "the first step to renewing a democratic press is for its owners, practitioners, and readers to find the moral courage to think for themselves…" If you, too, have concerns about America’s lack of shared vision for the future, or that "our citizenry seems to be suffering through early stage National Cognitive Decline," have a look at LAST BEST HOPE and its exploration of "America in Crisis and Renewal." Starred review from Kirkus.

A much shorter, personal and ruminative follow-up to Packer's epic The Unwinding, which I read in the wake of the 2016 in search of answers to what was going on. I now know there are no simple answers, but burgeoning questions and a growing sense that things are really getting dire, for those with the courage to lift their heads out of the consumerist sand. Packer points out the danger represented by our prejudice towards the appearance of stability, the risk that we will lose what is really important while focusing on inessentials. An uncomfortable, but necessary message.

I decided to read three books regarding the interval from 2015 until today and I will not make that mistake again. All three books were only worthless diatribes that added almost nothing to the current conversation. You should skip all three!
"The New Civil War" by Bruce Abramson, a conservative praises President Trump while "Wingnuts" by David Michael Slater & "Last Best Hope" by George Packer both liberals each condemn him. All three books are not worth a tinkers damn since they are all mostly only vacuous.

Thanks to Netgalley and FSG for the early ebook. In this slim book the author paints the bleak picture of America’s present: The awful divides of race, political parties, wage inequality and finds our country on the brink of crises that mirrors the Civil War, the Depression and the turmoil of the late 1960’s. The book quickly traces how America came to each of those crises in the past and how they pulled back from the cliff of total destruction. And he shows a series of steps that can lead to a renewed and unified country for today, if only we can find leaders unafraid to honestly lead, aided with farseeing allies working behind the scenes. A frank and bracing book.

For all of us still trying to process the year we have just lived through, Mr. Packer's analysis will help clarify intuitions you may have had. The pandemic really did shine a light on problems within our society. Those problems will still be there when the pandemic subsides. This book is not long and is very clearly presented. In his analysis, our population has divided itself into four ways of looking at our country: those who espouse "Free America" (here, I think of the libertarians and Ayn Rand, ideas that the playing field is open to anyone willing to work hard and rise on their own merits) ; "Smart America" (the professional class, really, with all of its credentialism) ; "Real America" (those forgotten people in flyover country, struggling just to survive) ; and "Just America" (identity groups like Black Lives Matter, all neatly and vehemently divided). How can we possibly bring together such disparate groups? His solution is to emphasize the idea of equality at the heart of the American experiment. Wow, I hope he is right. When I look at our apparent return to a sort of Gilded Age, I have my doubts, but , my goodness, we have to start somewhere. He uses exemplary individuals to illustrate how each problem was attacked in the past. Mr. Packer is an award-winning writer and if you need a shot of hope while we are still in the throes of some dark times, well, here it is. This would be a great book for cities to choose as a "Big Read" and then discuss. There is so much of value here.

A very strong and interesting diagnostic of the state of politics in America over the last 5-10 years. One of the best 'post 2020' reads which goes over how four different segments of America view society. The book isn't so much of how we move forward, but rather understanding other people's view of the world, which may or may not allow us to improve relations amongst people in America.